Revitalizant: metal can be healed!

Visual demonstration of Revitalization process

Tested part with a special marking. After an hour of operation the defect was eliminated, we see a perfectly smooth ceramic-metal coating.

Photo 1. The surface of the race groove with deliberately inflicted defect (in the form of letter N).

Photo 2. After 15 minutes – rebuilding of the defect is already evident.

Photo 3. After an hour – you can’t even see the trace of existed scratch!

Products with mysterious name "XADO Revitalizant" first appeared on the shelves of auto stores in December 1999. Today for many automotive enthusiasts around the world Revitalizants have become an integral part of vehicle maintenance and the technology of revitalization has earned a widespread recognition, it’s even included in tribology textbooks. Effective high-quality products containing Revitalizant can be found on the shelves of retail stores in many countries throughout the world. They help to restore and maintain engine compression as well as power and efficiency of the engine at the highest level, eliminate noise in the transmission and power steering, effectively adjust parts in the new vehicle and extend its life span. So how does Revitalizant really work?

Let's experiment!

There is a certain category of people for whom good result is not enough. They want to know the details: how is it done, by what means the result is achieved and exact processes that occur on the surfaces of parts. To see firsthand how terrible defects are eliminated and what is Revitalization, we turned to the experts of XADO tribology laboratory. To verify the claimed effect, it was decided to take a real machine part, measure it, inflict a defect, spread the "magic" grease on it and see what happens.

Revitalization – is the process of bringing back to life, rejuvenation, “healing” of metal surfaces and elimination of defects. These are not just statements, it really works.

The course of experiment

1.On the race groove of selected bearing we inflict a defect with the help of engraving cutter (see photo 4), that is we damage the surface on purpose and quite severely. For better visualization, the defects are several times more dangerous than those that may occur on the surface of the part during actual operation.

2.Next, we apply grease (0.5 ml). The carrier of Revitalizant in this experiment is "XADO Repairing" grease, which is designed for units and mechanisms with substantial wear up to 80%. This is a normal mass-produced product that can be easily obtained in the store.

3.We begin to “heal” the bearing with lubricant under high load conditions (the force of about 8000 N and rotation speed of 1000 rpm).

And this is when Revitalizant begins its treatment, that is, the elimination of the defect by forming a protective ceramic-metal coating on friction surfaces.

Rebuilding of the metal

The process is very fast, so after 15 minutes of work, when outlines of the defect are still visible, we pause the test to see what happened to the surface. Even without any special equipment we can see that the defect is much reduced and there is a build-up of ceramic-metal on the edges. Photos from the microscope (see Photo 5) allow us to view the changes in details - small traces of the factory polishing have already disappeared completely, there is an inflow of the new coating on the edges of the crater.

Photo 4. A fragment of the race groove of the bearing. The original factory surface is rough with deep traces from the factory polishing. In the center - a pinhole (crater), it measures over 0.5 mm in diameter and 0.7 mm in depth, which we created deliberately with engraving cutter for testing purposes.

Photo 5. The same area of the bearing after 15 minutes of high load operation with "XADO Repairing" grease. The surface is smooth and glassy. Traces of the factory polishing have completely disappeared. You can still see the outline of the crater, but you can also clearly see the amount of ceramic-metal layer that rebuilds the pinhole back up.

The growth of ceramic-metal layer occurs at the edges of the crater, gradually filling the defect from the edges toward the center (see drawings).

The complex physics in simple terms.

The work of the bearing under load provides a special machine , which allows to examine the level of reparative, protective and regenerative properties of the products with Revitalizant (gels and lubricants).

We have seen that Revitalizant begins to work in overloaded areas (the extreme wear zones) and the initial rebuilding of the surface during revitalization always occurs in the area of the defect. Why?

Let's see how defects occur in actual engine parts. A scratch or a spall from foreign solid particles (dust, dirt, fine shavings, chips) is enough to cause a defect. It creates a zone of abnormal surface activity. In these zones metal atoms have an uncompensated bond and with the increasing workload they easily "shake" and detach from the matrix. Metal begins to chip. The defect increases in size and the wear progresses even further.

By the way, the effects of such engine wear are predictable and very unpleasant: decrease of engine power and compression, increase in oil consumption and fuel, increase of toxic emissions. According to manufacturers’ technical regulations 20-25% of compression reduction (e.g. from 14 to 10 units) is considered a 100% engine wear. Also it is a bad sign when compression dispersion in cylinders is more than 1.5 units, and oil flow is greater than 0.4-0.6% of fuel consumption (i.e. 0.8 qt for 620 miles with fuel consumption rate 2.6 gal per 62 miles).

To understand the scale of this process, it is enough to say that every gallon of used oil contains about 2 grams of metal. For an engine with 1800 cm3 capacity the loss of only 60 grams of metal is enough for a major overhaul due to wear. It seems that 60 grams for a 220-pound engine is a drop in a bucket. But the trouble is that the loss of metal happens exactly in the key friction pairs (ring - cylinder, neck of the crankshaft - bush, etc.), which are responsible for the operation of the engine! Is it possible to fight wear and remove, rebuild defects? Yes, it is possible, and our experiment is a clear proof of that.

Revitalizant begins to work in the extreme wear points, because there is enough excess energy to start the process and the metal atoms have the largest amount of free uncompensated bonds. These links are like magnets, seize and hold building material – Revitalizant – directly in the extreme wear zone. A few minutes after Revitalization process begins scratches are covered with ceramic-metal patch (photo 2, 5). The zone of abnormal activity disappears. Energy processes are stabilized and build-up of ceramic-metal layer stops.

Demonstration

Mass-production bearing used in fuel systems of diesel engines.

So is it possible to rebuild the metal and eliminate defects? Yes, and our experiment is a clear proof of that.

As an object for demonstration we chose a common bearing. It is easily assembled and disassembled, can withstand heavy loads. It is made of high-alloy tool steel. In vehicles it is used for the production of such high loaded and essentially important units as CV joints, pusher rollers, high pressure pumps’ plungers and gearbox shafts’ bearings.

Main Conclusions

Revitalizant works wherever there is friction and load. It eliminates bearing clearance and increases its accuracy, reduces ellipticity of the cylinder, optimizes the zones of contact in the toothing of gears, etc. Revitalizant also successfully repairs production defects, which are common.